My vet, who practices traditional methods as well as homeopathic methods sent hubby home with Tartar Shield Soft Rawhide Chews which she suggested as beneficial tooth cleaning chews for Peewee (Chihuahua). Of course as soon as I heard "rawhide" my alarm bells went off. It turns out the rawhide is minced, not solid like traditional rawhide chews. Our vet said the Bully Sticks chews aren't very good for tartar control because when the dogs chew on Bully Sticks the end gets all gummy and that gummy stuff sticks to their teeth rather than cleaning the teeth.

[url]http://tartarshield.com/index.asp?cmd=products[/url]

The package says, "[I]Tartar Shield Soft Rawhide Chews contain a patented formula clinically proven to clean teeth, reduce bacteria, freshen breath, and prevent plaque and tartar build-up by more than 50%. The soft rawhide is minced, making it gentle on your dog's teeth and gums and easy to chew and digest. The savory bacon flavor is baked all the way through for a delicious taste your dog is sure to love![/I]"

I would be careful giving a Chihuahua rawhide as it swell up when get it wet this could cause your dog trouble if he bite off too much at one time . It could get stuck in his throat , I would not leave dog along when he has this rawhide. Have you tried bushing his teeth with doggie toothpaste he is small so it should not be hard to clean his teeth this way. I gave my Standard Poodle rawhide and got some stuck in his throat, he was and to cough it up. I never gave him rawhide again.

Loki Love

December 2nd, 2012 12:04 PM

I'm not a fan of rawhide, regardless of its form. I'd rather go with a bone or antler for a good chew to help keep the teeth clean.

Myka

December 2nd, 2012 02:26 PM

Thanks for the replies!

Barkingdog, you did not read it fully. I thought the same as you at first, but the rawhide is minced. The chews can be broken in half by hand. I'm not interested in brushing his teeth.

Loki, I have never been a fan of rawhide either, at least not the solid chew bones. Peewee won't chew on real bones or antlers. He just licks bones, and he has no interest in antlers. He likes the Bully Sticks, but only if he is given them on rare occasions. He does LOVE these rawhide chews though. It takes him about 10-15 minutes to go through one of the sticks.

Barkingdog

December 2nd, 2012 03:54 PM

[QUOTE=Myka;1050262]Thanks for the replies!

Barkingdog, you did not read it fully. I thought the same as you at first, but the rawhide is minced. The chews can be broken in half by hand. I'm not interested in brushing his teeth.

Loki, I have never been a fan of rawhide either, at least not the solid chew bones. Peewee won't chew on real bones or antlers. He just licks bones, and he has no interest in antlers. He likes the Bully Sticks, but only if he is given them on rare occasions. He does LOVE these rawhide chews though. It takes him about 10-15 minutes to go through one of the sticks.[/QUOTE]

I did read your post carefully ,and I was agreeing with you. , and it was only a suggestion to brush your dog teeth. I know when I was a kid dog owners they went to the butcher shop and brought their dog a nice big beef bone to chew on. And that was all the our dogs got to chew on.

MaxaLisa

December 2nd, 2012 04:30 PM

[QUOTE=Loki Love;1050242]I'm not a fan of rawhide, regardless of its form. I'd rather go with a bone or antler for a good chew to help keep the teeth clean.[/QUOTE]

I agree, a good raw bone to chew on is about the best teeth cleaner around.

Now, if the dog won't chew on the bone, that's a problem!

Loki Love

December 2nd, 2012 05:08 PM

[QUOTE=Myka;1050262]Loki, I have never been a fan of rawhide either, at least not the solid chew bones. Peewee won't chew on real bones or antlers. He just licks bones, and he has no interest in antlers. He likes the Bully Sticks, but only if he is given them on rare occasions. He does LOVE these rawhide chews though. It takes him about 10-15 minutes to go through one of the sticks.[/QUOTE]

What about dehydrated trachea or some beef snout? There may be some other goodies out there that Peewee will enjoy and could help with his teeth a bit?

Barkingdog

December 2nd, 2012 07:43 PM

[QUOTE=MaxaLisa;1050268]I agree, a good raw bone to chew on is about the best teeth cleaner around.

Now, if the dog won't chew on the bone, that's a problem![/QUOTE]

I brought Marty a nice beef bone and he only played with it a little , he had no interest in chewing on it. He sure is strange little doggie. I never had a dog refuse a beef bone before.

Myka

December 2nd, 2012 08:29 PM

So if the rawhide is minced so there is no risk of expansion in the stomach, and no risk of the dog swallowing large chunks, why is it still so terrible? I imagine the dental additives are beneficial, I mean we as humans buy toothpaste for our teeth, right?

hazelrunpack

December 2nd, 2012 08:35 PM

Just because the rawhide is minced doesn't mean it won't expand in the stomach. Rawhide, is rawhide, no matter the size of the pieces. So if that part of it is a worry, I wouldn't offer minced rawhide, either.

I'm not sure minced rawhide would be much good for cleaning teeth, anyway. In our experience it breaks apart too easily so there's very little 'scrubbing' action on the teeth before the pieces are swallowed.

Myka

December 2nd, 2012 09:00 PM

Well I think what I will do is try them out for 6 months and see if there is any difference. I don't see any harm in it. I can't imagine why an homeopathic veterinarian would suggest a poor product.